Daily Archives: November 1, 2015

In theory, the most significant impacts from El Niño can be expected across North America during the winter months. So, three historic 20 inch rain events in the 5 weekends of October seems a little excessive. Display below shows Texas rainfall for the last 8 or 9 days actually, although the label says 14 days. The white shading south of Dallas is associated with the 20 inch rains related to Patricia over a week ago. The white shading south of Austin combines Patricia rains with what happen Friday morning to give another area of 20 inch totals for the 8 or 9 days. And more white shading near Houston, much of that fell Friday night into Saturday morning.

During the last two weekends of the month it has been Texas and Louisiana underwater, but back at the beginning of the month it was South Carolina. Check out the 30 day totals for October, four different areas with rainfall totals in excess of 20 inches.

In the spirit of two sides to every story, the positive impact of the recent floods in Texas is drought relief. Much like California, parts of Texas have also been immersed in a long term drought. After the big May floods, Texas went back to a super dry hot summer. But notice how the deep reds, illustrating dryness in these frames, just disappears from Texas and Louisiana in just a week.

The great California hope is that El Niño will do the same for the Golden State.

Learn more in my latest e-book El Niño: The WILD side of the weather cycle…What we know, what we don’t, and WHY you should care!

I show how this years Pacific water temperatures compare to the 1982 and 1997 events and highlight the kind of weather episodes that these stronger El Niño’s tend to bring.